Shoe bottom



Nov. 18, 1941. F. A. PARKHURST SHOE BOTTOM Filed Jan. 18, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet, l v

I Il /I. i/lll l III'IIII,

INVENTOR Y ATTORNEY F. A. PARKHURST SHOE BOTTOM 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR i'mk a. BY

ATTORNEY durability.

- partly broken away,

I Patented Nov. 18, 1941 2,263,187 SHOE BOTTQM Frederic A. Pal'khmfl, sumem, Com, use: to

Monsanto Chemical Company, St. Louis, Mo., a

corporation of Delaware Application January 18, 1940, Serial No. 314,417

This invention relates to the bottoms of boots and shoes and has for its object to'provide a light and inexpensive shank and heel assembly, which parts can be readily molded by well-known means and methods from suitable plastic materials and thereafter combined into a unitary structure of attractive appearance and great More or less satisfactory molded plastic boot and shoe heels have heretofore been produced, but it has been found extremely difflcult, if not impossible, to attach them to with the necessary security, since the nails or screws commonly employed for this purpose are unsuited for the attachment of heels of this character. Moreover, the structure thereof has generally been such as to make them unnecessarily heavy with an accompanied increased'cost. The present invention has for one of its'objects the provision of a shoe bottom structure including a molded plastic heel securely attached in such manner that it will be retained in proper position throughout the life of the shoe, and which will be light in weight and relatively inexpensive.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention together with means whereby the latter may be carried into effect, will best be understood from the following description of certain forms or embodiments thereof shown in the accompany- -ing drawings, these, however, having been ch sen for purposes of exempliflcation merely; it being obvious that the invention, as defined by the claims hereunto appended, may be otherwise embodied without departure from the spirit and scope thereof.

In said drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation, Fig. 2 is a side elevation in section and Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view,

of a shoe shank element constituting one feature of the present invention;

Figs. 4, 5, 6 and '7 are sections taken substantially on the lines 4-4, 5-5, 6-8, and 'l-'|, respectively, of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation partly in section of a shank member similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, having a heel with toplift attached thereto;

Fig. 9 is a section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig.

Fig. 10 is a side elevation partly in section of similar to that shown in Figs. 1 heel without toplift attached a shank member and- 2, having a thereto;

Fig. 11 is a section Fig. 10. I

Fig. 12 is a top plan view of my preferred heel taken on the line mm of conventional shoes '1 Claims. (01 36-245) without toplift, and in particular showing webs 2|, socket l9 and projecting surface 21 ofshell I8.

Fig. 13 is a top plan view of another modification of my heel without toplift, and showing the position of webs ll.

Fig. 14 is a bottom plan view, partly broken away of a modification of myshoe shank element constituting one feature of the present invention;

integral reinforcing or to that of which tion or projections in the form Fig. 15 is a section taken substantially on the line Iii-l5 of Fig. 13 and having the shank l5 shown in Fig. 14 attached, the shank being partly in section.

Referring to Figs. 1 to '1, there is shown at IS a shoe shank member die cast or moldedin accordance with well-known methods from a suitable plastic material or composition, having the requisite strength, durability and hardness such for example, as cellulose acetate molding compositions, molding resins, the vinyl acetals and chlorides, polystyrene, etc. The said shank member I5 is formed with a heel seat portion l6, and has molded and embedded therein a stiffening member 11 preferably comprising a strip of perforated sheet steel. The heel seat portion li'in the construction shown is adapted to cooperate with and have attached thereto a molded plastic heel of the general character more fully described in a co-pending application filed January 9, 1940 Serial No. 313,065. Said heel, asshownin Figs. and .12 comprises a shell IQ, molded in a suitable shape from plastic material similar the shank I5 is composed, said shell being provided with a socket I! of cylindrical or other form to retain and receive the projecting complementary member 20 of the heel seat IS. The shell I! is formed with interior ing from the exterior surface, of said socket H to the interior surface of. said heel shell I! preferably substantially through its entire height. The heel seat portion 16 of the shank I! as shown more clearly in Fig-3 is formed witha projecof a pair or pairs of parallel ribs 22 forming between them a recess 01' groove 23 to receive the upper projecting edge of the web 2| as shown'in Figs. 9 and 11-, which is thereby embraced by the said ribs. The interengaging recesses and projections on the heel and the heel seat portion of the shank l5 interlock with one another to prevent relative lateral movement of the former on the latter, so that by securing the parts together into a unitary structure, as by the use of a suitable cement or by softening the en aging surfaces by a suitable solstlffening webs 21 extendvent, the heel will be securely fastened to the shank and become a substantially integral part thereof. The heel heat portion I6 is also provided with a shallow depression 28 into which the projecting surface 21 of the heel shell I8 is fitted.

In Figs. 8 and 9 there is shown a toplift likewise molded from plastic material similar to that of which the shank l and shell l8 are composed and attached to said heel shell by means of projections 24 and 25 received in the bottom open end of socket l9 and openings 28 of the heel respectively.

In Fig. 13 there is shown a modification of my heel, wherein the reinforcing webs 2| radially extend from a common center instead of radiating from a socket as shown in Fig. 12.

InFig. 14 there is shown at IS a shank member die cast or molded from a suitable plastic composition, having a heel seat portion IS, a stlifening member l1, anda depression 28 as described above. The heel seat portion it of the shank I5 is here provided with a plurality of ribs 22 and grooves 23 which cooperate and articulate with webs 2| of the heel to secure the heel in position.

In Fig. there is shown in section a series of webs M of the heel fitted in to the grooves 23, and gripped by the ribs 22 of the heel seat l6.

The construction above described is such that the heel with its reinforcing elements and toplift receiving socket where a toplift is desired, the shank withits stiffener and heel seat portion shaped complementary to the contiguous portions of the heel, may be conveniently molded separately, and thereafter when assembled and cemented or otherwise secured together as above described to form a substantially integral heel and shank and, when in place, are securely bonded together against possible distintegration.

This application is a continuation-impart of my prior application Ser. No. 263,620 filed March 23, 1939.

What is claimed is:

1. In a boot or shoe, a shank composed of mold ed plastic material and having a heel seat portion, and a heel composed of molded plastic materlal and secured to said heel seat portion, said heel having a plurality of interior reinforcing webs and said heel seat portion having a plurality of ribs and grooves complementary to and articulated with said reinforcing webs.

2. In a boot or shoe, a shank composed of molded plastic material and having a heel seat portion, and a heel composed of molded plastic material and secured to said heel seat portion, said heel having a plurality of interior reinforcing webs radially extending from outwardly to the sidewall of said heel and said heel seatportion having a plurality of ribs and grooves complementary to and articulated with said reinforcing web 3. In a boot or shoe, a shank composed of molded plastic material and having a heel seat portion, and a heel composed of molded plastic material and secured to said heel seat portion, said heel having an interior reinforcing projection and a socket integral with said reinforcing projection and said heel seat portion having a projection complementary to said socket and a recess to receive said reinforcing projection.

4. In a boot or shoe, a shank composed-of molded plastic material and having a heel composed of moldthe interior thereof tion, and a heel comprising a hollow shell of molded plastic material and having reinforcing webs 6. In a boot or shoe, a shank composed of molded plastic material and having a heel seat porreinforcing webs radially extending from the exterior surface of a substantially vertical cylinwebs.

'7. In a boot or ed plastic in 

